Cartridge magazine for automatic firearms



J 1950 G. w. PATCHETT 2,510,331

CARTRIDGE MAGAZINE FOR AUTOMATIC FIREARMS Filed April 16, 1947 A ttomeys- Patented June 6, 1950 BET!) SAT CARTRIDGE MAGAZINE FOR AUTOMATIC FIREARMS George William Patchett, Gidea Park, Essex, England Application April 16, 1947, Serial No. 741,745 In Great Britain April 18, 1946 12 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved cartridge magazine for automatic firearms and has for its objects, inter alia, means for providing greater ammunition carrying capacity with the same or less weight than magazines now in use wherein the feed to the gun will function under bad dust or grit conditions, the said magazine being capable of filling by hand and is designed for repeat manufacture out of pressed metal parts, that are jig assembled, welded and ready for use without machining operations.

In order that the pressed steel magazine, though fabricated from metal of light section, shall remain free from later distortion due to inherent stress engendered by pressing, the right angled flanging is accomplished by serrating the edges of the plates prior to folding, and according to a preferred construction the said magazine is substantially rectangular in cross section with slightly sloping inward sides from back to front, the back plate being merely a curved strip against which the cartridge rims contact, and the front plate a serrated flanged plate, said flanges engaging the side plates on their inner faces whilst the rear serrated flange of each side plate engages the outer edge surfaces of the back plate, the said serrations, when the plate parts are jig assembled, being spot welded to the part contacted.

The side plates have pressed in corrugations which besides imparting strength to the assembly as a whole provide internally rolling rails along which the cartridges contact in their progression towards the breech, leaving space for grit and dust to be negligent factors if present and capable of discharge.

The invention consists of an improved cartridge magazine for automatic firearms wherein the contour of said magazine is segmentally arouate from a centre whose radii align with the tapering sides of the cartridges, said magazine being wholly fabricated from pressed metal parts welded together, the flanges of the said parts being serrated to eliminate strains and distortion after welding.

The invention further provides for a cartridge magazine as above wherein the cross section of said magazines permits of staggered piling of the said cartridges against a spring impelled platform, and transfer of said ammunition from the magazine to the firearm in alternating succession by either the left or right hand feeder of the reciprocating bolt, the mount of the magazine comprising slightly tapering in curved throat sides, each side in succession retaining a cartridge under resilient pressure prior to feed, the lips of said magazine mouth being formed to con-- stitute guides to lift and centralise the cartridge to enter the breech under urge of one or other of the bolt feeders, the forward underlip of the magazine throat having a final semi-circular cartridge guide whose centre line is coaxial to that of the said breech.

In order that the invention shall be better understood reference is made to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective elevation of the upper part of the magazine.

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of Fig. 1 on line X-X,

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the upper part of the magazine,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side sectional elevation of the lower part of the magazine,

Fig. 5 shews detail in part section of the platform and spring,

Fig. 6 shews a back elevation of the platform shown in Fig. 5 with the spring removed,

Fig. 7 shews a fragmentary front elevation of Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 shows method of piling ammunition within the magazine.

Referring to the drawings and Figs. 1 and 2 the magazine as illustrated has a contour that is segmentally arcuate from a centre whose radii align with the tapering sides of the cartridges, equally as will be gathered from the cross section shown in Fig. 2 the interior of the magazine tapers slightly from the rear to the front to conform in the other plane with the cartridge taper.

The magazine has four walls and is substantially rectangular in cross-section, the back wall I being made from a plain metal sheet bent to required radius. ihe sides 2 and 3 respectively are flanged over at right angles, as is also the front plate 5, but the metal of each flange prior to bending is serrated as at 5. the incision commencing from the point of bending. The object of incising the flanges is to prevent pucker or stretching which would ensue as a result of bending over on' a curve or radius, the surplus metal otherwise tending to set up internal stress in the material which in time would cause distortion and lead to faulty fitting of the magazine to the firearm or mis-firing. The side parts I, 2, 3 and =3 are, after pressing chromium plated on their inner faces or otherwise finished before welding. The fact that the internal faces of the magazine sides are polished or burnished adds greatly to the friction-' less travel of the platform, and the Welding spots that occur on the serrations do not effect the in- 'ternal plating finish where the cartridges contact the magazine walls. The said wall parts I, 2, 3 and 4 after pressing and plating are jig assembled and welded together.

In order to provide for the smooth running of the cartridges and their platform B with its rollers 6 and 6a., the side plates 2 and :3 are provided with indented lands or'pressed in corrugations l which latter provide internally rolling rails upon which the cartridges 8 and their platform I can revolve and slide respectively. The said corrugations materially strengthen the construction as a whole and impart an inherent rigidity to the magazine even when the latter isfabricated :from thin sheet material. The mouth 9 of the magazine is formed with a bolt feeding notch I U in the rear side I and the sides 2 and ."rhavoincurved cheeks H and Ila respectively which also taper towards the radial centre referred to above. The front plate 4 is provided with a curved and outwardly-fiaredlip l 2. The sides '2 and Sat thebase areflanged outwardly asat 3, adaptedtoreceive abase plate having channel-sides l adapted toembrace and-slideupon-the flanges 13. The said :base plate has a perforation 16 adapted .to receivea ball'headed'projection ll formed on .the spring lower :abutment plate 48. The plate 18 is fast with the rectangularly coiled springd-Qwhose end remote from the plate l8 is fast with a.platformEpIateZ-Oby its end passing into-.clipl I riveted to plate 20.

The platform -.B-is a pressed up metal sheet entity formed as shown in Eigs. 5-and 6, the flanged side anembers 22 carrying slightlyztapering rollers s and fi'aloose on spindles 24.

The rollers 6 and 6a constitute the platform proper for'the cartridges 8,'which are filledinto the magazine by handatthe mouth 9, in a-manner that produces the arrangement shown in Figs. 6 and 8 against the resilient spring 9. The platform B is a hollow entity and its side walls 26 carry uppressed lands 2? adapted to contact V and m'ove upon the rails-Lof the magazine. .The roller 5a is at a lower level to that numberedfi to-give :a'staggered-pile of cartridges Within the magazine; The rollers 6 and fia are of substantially equal diameters to the diameter of the cartridgeand taper as shown.

rl'flurth'er,thev platform B is provided with" round shoulders -28 adapted to point contact the back orafrontpiate 1 0rd; should there be any tendency f'orthe platform to tilt in its descent when loading 'or'its'ascent when feeding cartridge to the breech of the gun.

To preventthe platform travelling too far'upward inthe magazine and to prevent any possibilityof the bolt'striking the roller 6 and indent 29 theifront plateengages the top edge of the skirt Eaton the platform B. The magazine'is-in the knownmanner provided'with a locating catch 32 for engagement-with the fire-arm magazine retaining plate and a stop plate 33 for. engagement with an abutment (not shown) .in "the magazine carrier .of the firearm.

The operation of the :invention'is asfollows: The :magazine inits assembled condition has1its base .plate M removed and the platform B with V respective wallswhich they engage, and a spring sembly as indicated in Figs. 6 and 8. This operation follows closely upon the normal method of cartridge loading except that it is done with "greater ease and speed due to the fact that the cartridge'rounds rotate easily upon the rollers B and the platform B with its raised lands 2'! and rounds.8 only contact the sides of the magazine where their surfaces meet the indented rails 1.

Hence friction is reduced to a minimum.

:Having filled the magazine the latter is inserted in the firearm and the bolt having two feederpushers of--a known type alternately contacts either a right or lefthanded cartridge, whichrlatter is moved forward under guidance of the inturned cheeks II and Ha to centralise itself and emerge into the gun breech over the magazine lip l2. During the period of firing'the platform B moves upward under influence of spring -I 9, -the rollers -6. and cartridges 8 beingfree torotate individually in such movement. Rotationis induced by the outer surface of each round contacting the rails lso that movement upwardin the direction of the arrows-shown in Fig.8 causes adjoining layersto have complementary contact rolling motion as though meshing. The magazine feeds from bolt movement to the last round, since the first round entered in-fillinglrests in the space above the lower roller 76a and the backpart of this round projects well above the top of the higher roller 6 which latter is restrained as set out above from projecting into the path race of the reciprocatingbolt.

-It-will beobserved that'th'eplatformB is hollow-and the space belowfree of any obstruction other than the springlQ. Hence dust, sand, grit or like adventitious"matter-that not infrequently enters these magazines in transport or use is enabled-tofallto the base and remain out of the wayrduning any period of firing. 7

When the magazine is inserted in its socket, provided in the firearm, the incurved cheeks H throwout .the .detent catch'of the socket automatically, and continued insertion brings the magazine into a fully socketed condition when the back-.detent-enters the notch 32 and the stop 29 engages the frontlimiting stop.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature :of .ourisaid invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declarethat'whatwe claim-is:

1. A cartridge magazine for firearms composed of :pressed metal side walls having curvilinear edges and end*walls shaped to conform with the curvilinear edges of the side walls and assembled With'theside walls'to form'a structure of sub-' stantially rectangular cross-section, the edges of one" end wall being serrated and flanged to actuated platform having a plurality of rollers mounted thereon to rotate freely and to support respectivelycolumns 0f -tapered cartridges :in the magazine, one of said rollers being disposed in a plane lower than another of said rollers to support one column of cartridges in staggered relation with cartridges supported by the other of said rollers, the side walls of the magazine bein provided at their inner sides with lands which extend concentrically with the curvilinear edges of the side walls for rolling engagement with the rollers on said platform and with cartridges contained in the magazine, and said rollers being tapered from front to rear in similar degree to the taper of the cartridges and having substantially the same diameter as the cartridges at all points of engagement of the rollers with the cartridges.

2. A cartridge magazine for firearms, comprising a magazine body to contain columns of cartridges, a platform movable within the magazine body and comprising a metal pressing having a basal skirt to slidably engage the inner surfaces of the magazine body and lugs integral with the upper portion of the platform, and cartridge supporting rollers mounted by said lugs to rotate freely.

3. A cartridge magazine as defined in claim 2, wherein said platform comprises a hollow substantially rectangular entity conforming with the cross-section of the magazine body and freely movable therein, and a spring abutment on said platform immediately below said rollers.

4. A cartridge magazine as defined in claim 2, wherein said platform comprises a body formed with front and rear plates having contact shoulders, said shoulders being rounded for point engagement with walls of the magazine body.

5. A cartridge magazine as defined in claim 2, wherein said magazine body is provided at its base with out-turned flanges, and including a closure plate formed with upwardly and inwardly turned flanges slidable engageable with the outturned flanges of the magazine body, a platform for supporting and advancing cartridges in the magazine body, a spring for advancing the platform and abutting at one end against the platform, and a spring abutment engaging the other end of the spring and having a spherical projection engageable with a perforation in the closure plate when the latter assumes closed position.

6. A platform for a cartridge magazine having a hollow body open at both ends, longitudinal inwardly projecting rails on its side walls, and a closure member at one end, said platform being adapted for movement longitudinally within the magazine, a pair of rollers freely rotatable on and exposed at the upper end of the platform to support cartridges and permit rotation thereof during movement of the platform in the magazine, a skirt integral with the platform and extending downwardly from the rollers to guide and locate the platform in the magazine, lands projecting outwardly from the skirt at one end thereof to coact with the rails in the magazine, shoulders on the other end of the skirt to coact with the front and rear walls of the magazine, and a spring seated at one end against the closure member and at the other end under the platform to urge the latter resiliently towards the other end of the magazine.

7. A platform for a cartridge magazine as defined in claim 6, wherein said rollers are displaced in height to admit of zigzag loading of cartridges thereon.

8. A platform for a cartridge magazine as defined in claim 6, wherein said rollers are tapered axially to correspond substantially with the taper of the sides of the cartridges to be employed.

9. A platform for a cartridge magazine as defined in claim 6, wherein said platform has a body of greater length than that of two contiguous turns of said spring in its uncompressed condition.

10. A platform for a cartridge magazine as defined in claim 6, wherein said platform comprises a body which constitutes a rectangular entity of greater length than width, and is adapted for movement within a magazine of corresponding section.

11. A platform for a cartridge magazine as defined in claim 6, wherein said platform comprises a hollow body which is perforate on all sides.

12. A cartridge supporting platform for a cartridge magazine, comprising an elongated body having a pair of rollers mounted to rotate freely on its upper end and positioned to rotatably support cartridges resting thereon and to rotatably engage the side walls of the magazine, and having a substantially rectangular skirt at its lower end, the skirt having lands projecting from its opposite sides for slidable engagement with the walls of the magazine engageable by the rollers, and the body of the platform having curved portions projecting from the front and rear edges thereof to slidably engage with point contact the front and rear walls of the magazine.

GEORGE WILLIAM PATCHETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 999,387 Mauser Aug. 1, 1911 1,323,063 Johnson et al Nov. 25, 1919 1,331,155 Johnson Feb. 17, 1920 1,462,972 Lewis July 24, 1923 2,275,213 Wise Mar. 3, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 817,235 France Aug. 30, 1937 

